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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. pound — a weight
  6. degree — from a university
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — to handle
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bound — certain
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pound — to hit hard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com